Colorado ag officials ask brewers to try millet

Colorado agriculture officials are turning to brewers to see if they can help boost sales of millet.

Colorado produced a little more than 60 percent of all millet in the U.S. last year.

The cereal grain is only a $50 million crop for the United States, while wheat is worth several billion dollars each year. But Timothy Larsen of the state agriculture department says it represents an area where rural Colorado businesses can grow.

Millet is often used as birdseed, but Colorado agriculture officials have been promoting its gluten-free qualities and working with Colorado State University to develop recipes for it.

They’ve also asked Colorado Malting Co. in Alamosa to malt it for beer companies to try as a substitute for barley or wheat.

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